Reluctance
by Akari Hoshizora
Summary: A girl named Lunessa learns she is a Witch and flees her town to Waffle Island. But a girl from her old town, Angela, moves there too, and Lunessa has to deal with her old love for the Wizard, who hates Witches. What did she do to deserve this?


_Let me tell you, it has been two years since we last met. It has been much too long. My mother is now gone, and I am now here in her place. It feels like a curse, but I suppose it is. I am to never be normal, never, I tell you, never. Yet inside of me is a bit of hope, which disgusts me and gives me hope at the same time. You see, I am a Witch, not the Witch Princess, but still a Witch. I can cast magic spells and create potions and all that stuff. I know you may not like it, but I don't like it that much either. I never knew I was a Witch, and you are a Wizard, my enemy. That is why I must leave and go somewhere that we will not meet. I don't want to hate you, I really don't, and I hope you don't feel that way about me either. I am so sorry we must part. But there is one thing I must tell you before I leave._

_I love you, and I hope you don't love me back._

_Love,_

_Lunessa, Witch_

Those were the hardest words Lunessa had ever written, and it was just as hard to drop it into the basket she had placed by the door. Her skin was pale, her eyes were a lively blue, and her hair shone in the moonlight like a field of golden wheat. She was the last person in the small nameless town anyone would expect to be a Witch; not even she expected it. But she was, and for the past two years she had refused to believe it, fleeing the town to pray for the Harvest Lord to help her. But she was a Witch, and the Harvest Lord did not like Witches like her. It was the worst fate she could imagine, being a Witch, and she was suffering it. What had she done to deserve this?

Lunessa was famous in the town for her kindness and love. Boys used to fight over her as a child, but she had never taken advantage of that. Instead she had pointed out that she had plenty of time to break hearts before she was old enough to choose a husband, so they left her alone and went on to other girls. As she had grown older, she had fallen in love with animals; she seemed to have a magic touch with them, that's how much they liked her. She began to spend her free time learning about the Harvest Goddess and Harvest Lord and Harvest Sprite and all the other good and pure Celestial Beings. Whenever a villager got sick, she was there to help. Children were always welcome to visit her when their parents were too busy. The entire town knew that if there was a problem, they could go to her for help.

Throughout her entire life, though, she had one best friend: Solak, a wizard. For as long as she could remember they had been best friends. She was the one who had begun calling him Solak; if his real name were to be known by the wrong person, they could control him. Not even she knew his name. Yet as they grew older Lunessa developed a crush on him, her dreams filled with happy reveries of him returning that love through a kiss or hug. Just seeing him would sometimes reawaken the secret love she held for him and fill her stomach with a strange feeling. But it could easily ruin their friendship, so she had never mentioned it to him.

And now Solak was her enemy, and she had to leave. In the present her eyes were red from crying, tears staining her cheeks. With a soft sigh, she turned away from his hut, ignoring the open window from which the aroma of some nice, delicious stew escaped to her. Sadly Lunessa walked away, but then she stepped on a stick and cringed. "Hello? Who's there?" Quickly she ducked behind a tree, her long black cloak shielding her in the shadows of the tree. Solak stuck his head out the window, looking around. The Witch barely dared to look at him, the way the moonlight shone on his silvery hair and natural rich, tan skin. His silvery eyes were filled with curiosity as he peered out the window, and her stomach was again filled with that strange feeling, one that she had not felt since leaving. Finally the wizard shrugged and pulled the window shut, the food's aroma now trapped within his hut, leaving a sudden emptiness in the air as it slowly faded away.

For now her main concern was to simply escape Solak. He hated Witches, he had always said so; that was why she knew they could not be friends anymore. Especially since he knew her real name, as she did not know she would need a fake name as she did not know she was a Witch. As much as it pained her, she had to accept that she and her old friend, the Wizard, were not to be together.

Suddenly she heard a strange sound, and turned to see a small black dog, looking at her curiously. She knew who it belonged to instantly, as she had watched the dog for his master many times. Angela, wasn't it? The dog was a fair distance from home, and the love of animals that she still harbored made her pick him up to take to his home. When she could see the house, the dog began squirming so she let him down. Lunessa stood there as it ran towards the house, yipping happily. The door flung open and a girl about eighteen or nineteen appeared, her amber eyes wide.

"Midnight!" she cried, kneeling down so the dog could jump into her outstretched arms for a loving embrace. "I was so worried about you! Never go away like that again!" As she spoke she rubbed her face in Midnight's fur, her brown hair falling into her eyes and meshing with the dog's blackness. This made Lunessa smile. Obviously the dog had run away some time ago, a feeling she could imagine. Angela was rarely this excited, or at least she wasn't before the Witch had left. But for now it was too much to see the girl sobbing with happiness.

Finally Lunessa turned and left, ignoring the forest around her. She was going to some new place where she would be able to live in peace and forget her old friends. It was called Waffle Island, and it would be her new home. At least it would be until the residents figured out she was a Witch and chased her away. Then she would have to move to somewhere else. But at least she would never have to deal with the people she was now leaving behind again.

Or at least, that's what she thought.


End file.
